The other day I noticed a split gaiter on my steering rack. I obtained new gaiters today but when I went to remove the passenger side gaiter, steering fluid poured out of the rack. So now I need a new steering rack as the seals are obviously shagged. I really could have done without this, I can't afford to get it done in a garage and I don't know whether I can cope with the struggle of fitting a new one myself. I suppose I don't have much option as I have literally spent £££££ssssss on the car getting it how I want it in the years I've had it and I have lavished attention on it. It has many, many new parts on it. so it would be a massive shame to have to scrap it.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 17 July, 20187 yr by TMB

Bugger. Maybe it's only a slow leak? How much fluid?

If I move the gaiter more pours out.  Supposed to be pretty much bone dry in there isn't it

Yeah, must be so. Maybe look at what the most recent car is that uses the same rack and start hunting scrappies?

Yeah, or I could maybe afford a recon one. It's always a gamble though - I've had 'recon' stuff before that's been rubbish.

I have a steering rack still available from the 2001 1.4 MPI fabia I'm breaking. If it is leak free you can have it for £35 plus postage.

Edited 17 July, 20187 yr by retro

3 minutes ago, retro said:

I have a steering rack still available from the 2001 1.4 MPI fabia I'm breaking. If it is leak free you can have it for £35 plus postage.

 

Thanks mate. I will consider my options. My car is 2003 with only 68,000 miles on it.

Edited 17 July, 20187 yr by TMB

6Q2 423 061 G is what you want, I think https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/fabia/fab/2001-225/4/423-423040/#1; should be the same as what retro is offering.

OEMwolf suggests that nothing more recent than 2005 uses the same part.

There is a label on my rack which says 6Q2 423 051P

Maybe that part number includes the track rods and everything?

Yes, could be.

41 minutes ago, TMB said:

If I move the gaiter more pours out.  Supposed to be pretty much bone dry in there isn't it

 

On the other hand, that may have been accumulating there for a long time, just held in by the intact boot and clips on that side? Why not just fit new boots, mark the fluid level on the side of the bottle and monitor it for the next few months?

1 minute ago, Wino said:

 

On the other hand, that may have been accumulating there for a long time, just held in by the intact boot and clips on that side? Why not just fit new boots, mark the fluid level on the side of the bottle and monitor it for the next few months?

 

I think that's a good idea. I'm going to do exactly that and see what happens to the fluid level. My car is very rarely used for more than just pottering about town so I may get some more time out of it.

Cool. I guess you haven't noticed anything amiss/asymmetric with the actual assistance level?

Edited 17 July, 20187 yr by Wino

8 minutes ago, Wino said:

Cool. I guess you haven't noticed anything amiss/asymmetric with the actual assistance level?

 

It's never missed a beat. No warning light, no interruptions to assistance. Nothing.

Got the gaiters on. It's a very cramped job and there is simply no chance of getting the special pliers in to crimp the clips because the console and subframe are totally in the way, so I had to use narrow hose clips. I was able to get a screwdriver on the drivers side clip by poking it through a hole in the console under the car, and the passenger one I did from above in the engine bay.

 

Wino - the gaiters we thought were the wrong ones fitted fine. Strange business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 18 July, 20187 yr by TMB

16 minutes ago, TMB said:

Wino - the gaiters we thought were the wrong ones fitted fine.

I think if you'd've bought the narrower bore one, and had the bigger-diameter track rods, that might've been trickier?

Yeah they would have been really tight. These ones are just a nice snug fit.

Excellent.

Just gonna nip out and take the battery box off to inspect the fluid level.

As a general observation, I've had 3rd party gaiter kits that were sealed using nylon tie-wraps (and yes they did last several years in service).

16 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

As a general observation, I've had 3rd party gaiter kits that were sealed using nylon tie-wraps (and yes they did last several years in service).

 

I hate using cable ties and would only do it if there was absolutely no alternative. Modern gaiters are made of thermoplastic, not the soft rubber they used to be made of, so they need firmly securing.

 

Checked the fluid, it was just above minimum on the little dipstick. The difference between min and max is very small so maybe it's only weeping over a long period of time and it's built up inside the gaiter. I have only ever checked the level once when I first got the car back in August 2013.

Make sure when re-checking the level that the fluid is close to the same temperature, ideally.

Yeah, cheers Pete